


I Know You

by thisprentiss



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: 1920s, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 15:23:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3295331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisprentiss/pseuds/thisprentiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kili knows the young woman who keeps coming into his diner, though he doesn't know why. After all, he's only talked to her once. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Know You

**Author's Note:**

> So this is set thousands of years after the events in the Hobbit and LotR, but Tauriel and Legolas are still the same people. That probably makes no sense at all, I guess I'll explain it in later chapters. Enjoy!

The first time she came into the small diner on the corner of the street, Kili had been swamped with work.

Businessmen were demanding their coffee and eggs, steel workers shouting for bacon, posh upperclass citizens requesting strange variations on certain orders that Kili  _absolutely knew they couldn't make, good lord above who puts olive oil on that!?_

The radio was blaring something about the stock markets rising, something that Kili was ignoring in favor of running willy nilly about the diner, trying to keep up with all the orders. That's when  _she_  first entered.

She quietly walked through the door and sat down at the counter, staring at a menu that had been left there by a previous customer. Kili noticed her as he walked by, noticed her firey red hair, her freckled nose, her  _radiant_  porcelain skin. He noticed her posture, neat and composed, but not too rigid, he noticed the way her long, slender fingers held the menu, he noticed the way her gentle green eyes scanned over the words.

And he spilled coffee on his trousers.

By the time he had cleaned himself up, the woman was gone. It was as if she had never been there in the first place. Perhaps Kili had imagined the whole ordeal, perhaps his mind was trying to make an excuse for his embarrassing coffee accident. Whatever it was, he hoped in the back of his mind that she might come back.

She did.

The second time she came into the diner was the very next morning, at the same time. She walked in, gracefully sat down at the same seat, smoothed out the front of her green suit jacket and skirt, picked up the menu, and began flitting her eyes across the words.

Kili took a moment to stare at her, almost wistfully. There were fewer customers that day than there had been the day before, and that left him less stressed out. This time he noticed more. He noticed the slight way she'd tilt her head as she read, this time he noticed how her mouth opened a bit when she read over their selection of breakfast foods. This time he noticed the strange point of her ears, he noticed the gentle curl in her long red hair, how it cascaded down her elegantly curved back.

He didn't notice his brother asking her if she'd like anything, he only saw her shake her head slightly, a polite, small smile on her soft looking lips. She stood, smoothing out her jacket and skirt once again, and, though it may have been a trick of the light, gave Kili a small upward glance.

But it was only a split second long, for the next moment she had swiftly exited the diner, leaving the door swinging behind her.

She returned the next morning, making it a third day in a row visiting the diner, and Kili was prepared to talk to her. He had it all planned out in his head; he would walk up as soon as she sat down and ask if she'd like some coffee. Yes.

However, she walked through the door, sunlight beaming in from behind her already radiant figure, giving her a likeness to an angel. Kili's breath caught in his throat as he watched her walk to the same seat, smooth out the front of her suit jacket and skirt, and pick up the menu. Her ankles were crossed beneath the round diner stool, posture as perfect as it could ever be.

Kili took a deep breath, ready to inquire about her breakfast, but he found himself unable to move. He was so enthralled by this woman, this really, unremarkable woman. He'd seen plenty of women come into the diner, but none captivated him as much as she. Letting out an almost inaudible sigh, Kili smiled dreamily.  _You can do this,_ he reassured himself, squaring his shoulders and tightening his grip on the coffee pot.

"Hey, buddy, could ya get me a refill?" a man shouted from across the diner, directed at Kili. The scruffy-faced man pursed his lips, shoulders slouching in defeat, but he managed to muster a pleasant smile as he bounced over to the man in the booth. He said nothing, just poured a refill of coffee and walked back to the counter, beyond ready to talk to the mysterious red haired woman.

But she was gone by the time he got back.

She was back again the very next morning, the same time, promptly at eight. She entered in the same fashion as usual, walked over to the same stool at the counter, smoothed out her suit jacket and skirt, and picked up the menu. Kili took a deep breath, ready to ask what her order was. He paused a few feet away, however, intoxicated by her glowing presence.

And in that haze of distraction, his brother Fili had asked her if she wanted anything. Kili cursed himself, watching as she shook her head politely and set the menu down on the counter. She stood up and gave Kili a slight inclination of the head, turning and walking out of the diner.

Fili joined his brother in the doorway to the kitchen, arms crossed. "Do you know her?" he asked, and Kili shook his head dreamily.

"No, but I wish I did," he sighed, earning a slap to the arm from his brother. "She's been coming in every morning for the past four days."

"I know. She never orders anything," Fili responded, walking away as he heard someone request a refill on their coffee. Kili pulled the rag out of his apron and went about cleaning off the countertop.  _Maybe she would be back tomorrow._

She came again tomorrow, as usual, and took a seat on the same stool she always sat on. But this time Kili was ready. He marched up to her straight away and leaned on the counter, startling her a bit. She looked up from the menu with wide eyes, finding Kili staring at her. "Hello," he greeted, horrified at how his voice cracked. "Sorry, can I get you anything? Coffee, maybe?"

The woman's face softened, and she gave him a small, almost sad smile. "A coffee, if you don't mind," she said quietly, and Kili's brow furrowed. He stared at her as she looked away from him, toward her hands which were delicately holding the menu.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" he asked, pushing himself up so he was standing tall. The woman's eyes came up to meet his, and his breath caught in his throat. Her eyes were filled with sadness, with loss and love, and Kili felt an indescribable feeling tingling in the back of his head. But she looked away again, shaking her head. "Right, I'll just... I'll get you that coffee."

He turned and fetched the pot from the shelf behind him, moving to pour her a cup. But as he returned to her stool, he saw the door swinging. She was gone again.

The next morning she didn't come. Kili kept glancing between the clock and the door as the minutes ticked past eight, but she never came.  _Oh well,_  he tried to reassure himself,  _she was probably busy._ _She'll be back tomorrow._

She didn't come back the next day.

Or the next day, or the next day. A week passed and Kili didn't see her once.  _Perhaps I said something wrong,_  he groaned in his head,  _perhaps I shouldn't have talked to her._  He sighed as he poured a cup of coffee for a woman with a bowl cut.  _I never even got to hear her name._

But the next day, a breezy Sunday, at eight o'clock sharp, just when Kili had given up hope of ever seeing the mysterious red head again, the door jingled open. He turned his head slightly, just to get a glance at whoever was coming through the door, and his heart leapt.

She sat down on her stool, smoothing out her suit jacket and skirt, and she picked up the menu. Kili, trying hard to stop himself from smiling to broadly, nearly bounded up to her, coffee pot in hand. "Hello again," he greeted, hoping he didn't sound too excited, "I was beginning to think you'd forsaken us here."

"Oh, how could I do that?" she asked, a smile spreading slowly on her face. "I'll have a coffee, if you don't mind. And would you mind turning the radio up a bit? I'd like to hear this."

Kili nodded at her, turning the volume dials up so she could hear it better. He then plucked a mug off the shelf and set it down in front of her, pouring the black liquid. "There we are," he smiled, and the woman brought the mug to her lips. "Ah- be careful, it's a bit hot."

"Alright," she responded, not drinking it, but instead putting it back down in front of her. "Your name is Kili?"

For a moment, the man was confused as to how she knew his name. But then he remembered his name tag, and he chuckled. "Yeah. Dumb name, I know. Not to mention my brother's name is Fili, can't count how many people mix us up."

The woman let out a small laugh, a sound like tinkling bells, and grinned warmly at Kili, that sad look in her eyes. "I think it's a lovely name," she said, before holding out a delicate hand. "My name is Tauriel, most of my friends call me Tay."

"You look like a Tay," Kili responded, shaking her hand up and down. "But Tauriel's a  _gorgeous_ name, I don't know why people wouldn't want to call you that." Tauriel smiled softly again, releasing his hand and bringing it back to her coffee mug. The two stood silently for a moment, listening to the over-enthusiastic radio host talk about the stock market and the new trend of 'swing dancing'. "Stocks are silly," Kili commented, "Market's gonna collapse and  _then_  where are we gonna be?"

"Not in a good place, that's where. I'm staying clear of stocks. I've got plenty of money as it is," she said, shaking her head in the direction of the radio. Kili bit his lip awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't have that much, but we're making due," he added, realizing the class difference quite suddenly. He felt a hand rest itself on top of his, and when he looked up, Tauriel was smiling at him.

"You're one of the first people I've heard say that," she told him, and Kili felt his heart rush with warmth. His cheeks turned pink, and he pulled his hand away, embarrassed at the blush. "Oh, it's nearly eight thirty," she observed as she glanced at the clock on the wall.

"You don't have to leave, do you? I was quite enjoying this conversation," Kili sighed, but Tauriel laughed a bit, shaking her head.

"No, I'll be here for a bit longer. Do you mind grabbing another coffee?" she requested as she glanced over her shoulder toward the door. "I have a friend coming, he should be here soon." Kili set down another mug and poured the coffee, trying to hide his disappointment. Apparently he didn't hide it very well, however, because Tauriel chuckled. "Not that kind of friend, Kili. He's  _just_  a friend."

"I wasn't- I knew he was-" he tried to protest, sliding across the room to refill another man's coffee. "I wasn't assuming anything."

As he walked back behind the counter, Kili gave Tauriel another smile. She returned it, and he couldn't help but see the sadness in her eyes once again. But he didn't get to think about it for long, because the door of the diner was burst open within the next second. "Tay!" shouted a man. He was peculiar looking, Kili noticed, the same porcelain skin as Tauriel, but with blonde hair that curled around his face,  _a woman's haircut,_ Kili couldn't help but notice.

"Hello Lee," Tauriel greeted, and the man bounced over to the counter, taking a seat on the stool next to her. Kili saw that, unlike the red haired woman, this man sat with one leg tucked under himself, the other swinging back and forth under the stool. "Kili, this is Legolas, my flatmate."

"Nice to finally meet you, Kili! I've heard a  _lot_  about you," greeted the blonde man, Legolas, taking up Kili's hand and shaking it enthusiastically. Tauriel flushed deeply as Kili looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you?" he asked, and Tauriel's cheeks turned nearly the color of her hair. "Well it's a pleasure, Legolas."

The blonde laughed, throwing his head back. "Oh please, call me Lee. I haven't gone by Legolas in almost a thousand years!" he joked, before jumping a bit. "Excuse me, did you just  _kick me_  under the table!?"

"I ordered you a coffee," Tauriel said loudly, forcing a smile onto her face. "Let's talk about something else, shall we? Did they call you back?"

Legolas took a large sip of coffee and wiggled around on his seat, splaying his hands out dramatically. "I got the part, love!" he exclaimed, and Tauriel grabbed his hands excitedly.

"Oh congratulations, I knew you could do it," she said, and the blonde laughed.

"Well  _I_  sure didn't. I thought they were gonna pick that Bruce guy. But alas for him, he didn't sound quite as damsel in distress as I did," he grinned, turning to Kili. "Saturdays at eleven, Fairytale Adventures."

The dark haired man raised his brow. "You're on a radio show?" he asked, taking a plate of bacon and eggs from his brother to give to a man in a booth. "That's exciting, I'll remember to turn it on."

"You're such a doll! I can see why Tay likes you so much," he said, spinning the stool to continue talking to Kili. "Do you dance much? We're going out tomorrow. I'm sure she'd  _love_  to have a partner for a change." His tone was friendly, but Kili couldn't help seeing the same sadness in Legolas' eyes that he'd seen in Tauriel's every time she talked to him.

"Oh no, you don't have to, Kili," Tauriel tried to protest, kicking her flamboyant friend once again. But Kili shrugged, leaning back on the counter when he returned.

"I love to dance. I'm sure Fili wouldn't mind taking my shift until we close. What time?" he asked, and Legolas shot Tauriel an almost victorious glance. She blushed again and smiled.

"Seven," she answered, checking the clock. "And we have to go. See you tomorrow."

She dropped several coins on the counter to pay for the coffee, and grabbed Legolas by the arm, dragging him toward the door. "Remember, Kili, that's seven pm, be there or be square!" the blonde shouted as they headed out.

Kili stared at the spot where they had left, still mesmerized by Tauriel's presence, until he found his brother at his side. "What was that about me covering your shift?" he muttered, not quite able to be angry.

"I'm going dancing," Kili answered dreamily. "With a  _woman._ "


End file.
